Expanding capacity at the Pune plantAvery Dennison’s new coating lineIn a move aimed at serving growing demand in India, Avery Dennison on 12 March 2015 expanded its pressure-sensitive adhesives materials operation by inaugurating a third coating line which has been added to its existing plant in Pune. Not only will the new line, on which papers and films are coated with adhesives and release agents, help the company in meeting expanding demand in India but will also help in serving its Indian customers better.L – R: Anil Sharma, vice president and general manager, Materials Group, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and Georges Gravanis, vice president and general manager, Materials Group, Asia Pacific of Avery Dennison. Photo PSAThe new coating line differs from the four other in India in that it is an emulsion coater and will be used by Avery Dennison’s Label and Packaging Materials and Graphics Solutions business in making materials for labeling consumer packaged goods and graphic films for buildings and vehicles. “This is a significant expansion not only in terms of capacity but also in terms of capability as it allows us to service a wider set of customers,” said Anil Sharma, vice president and general manager, Materials Group, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Since establishing its first manufacturing plant in Gurgaon in 1997, Avery Dennison has seen strong growth and now has plants in Gurgaon, Pune and Bengaluru with sales offices located across the country. With this latest addition of a new coating line, the company has expanded capacity of the Pune plant for the third time in five years.

“Without giving details about the exact investment figures I would say that there has been substantial investment in the new coating line,” said Georges Gravanis, vice president and general manager, Materials Group, Asia-Pacific adding that this will help Avery’s Indian customers grow through wider adoption of pressure-sensitive labeling technology.

The decision to invest in the latest coating line was taken in 2015 and it took almost three years for the whole project to come to fruition. Both Sharma and Gravanis said that this new investment is also in line with Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Commenting further, Sharma said, “In view of the increasing demand for filmic and emulsion-based products in India, it is imperative that we have a local emulsion capability to support the market’s need and fully capitalize on the existing opportunities presented by our fast growing business in India.”